


Leap of Faith

by gamerfic



Category: Wonder Woman (2017)
Genre: Child Diana, Gen, Misses Clause Challenge, Referenced canonical character death, Training, Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-15 08:14:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13026927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gamerfic/pseuds/gamerfic
Summary: Every great warrior has to begin somewhere.





	Leap of Faith

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mendeia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mendeia/gifts).



Diana woke before the dawn, her body as taut and tense as a bowstring waiting to loose an arrow toward the horizon. She tried and failed to sleep until the sky lightened, knowing she should rest but finding herself unable. When at last she gave up, she hurried through her morning preparations and all but sprinted to the appointed meeting place at the edge of the forest. She had been waiting for this day for as long as she could remember.

Antiope arrived much later, ambling up the path from the village at a casual pace seemingly designed to infuriate Diana. Unable to stand still, she ran to meet her aunt halfway and to walk alongside her - though matching Antiope's steady, loping stride was more of a slow jog for Diana's short legs. "Good morning," said Diana with a grin.

"Good morning," replied Antiope, squinting down at Diana. "You seem very eager, little one."

"I am! Why shouldn't I be? My mother has finally allowed me to train as an Amazon warrior!"

"Indeed she has. But why must you be in such a hurry? Today is only the first day of your training. There will be many more."

Diana sighed. Antiope didn't get it. She had waited so long already to begin her journey that she doubted she could bear to wait even a second longer. Even worse, when they reached the clearing where the first lesson would take place, Diana realized Antiope had left the village empty-handed. She carried no swords and shields, nor bows and quivers - nothing but a well-worn lasso hanging from her belt.

"Didn't you forget something?" asked Diana. Antiope looked puzzled. "Our weapons!"

Antiope chuckled and shook her head. "Really, did you think I would have you fight untaught on your very first day? That hardly seems prudent. You have many other things to learn first."

Diana pulled herself up to her full height of four and a half feet. "Like what?"

Antiope pointed to a fallen tree nearby, its thick trunk overgrown with moss and fungus. "Can you jump over that?"

"Of course," Diana scoffed. In a single graceful motion, she easily leapt over the log and landed lightly on the soft ground on the other side.

"Very good," said Antiope. She marched into the undergrowth of the woods and found another decaying log. Effortlessly, she heaved it end over end until it came to rest next to the other tree. "What about that?"

Diana nodded. She understood the test now. To jump two logs was slightly more difficult and required a running start, but she made it without difficulty. This time Antiope rolled a boulder beside the two logs before saying, "Again." Diana complied without arguing. The faster she proved her skill in jumping, the sooner Antiope would see she was ready for more.

So it went, on and on, the width of the obstacle increasing little by little. When it finally became too broad for Diana to clear it, Antiope stopped to correct her form, showing her how to use the strong muscles of her legs to push off explosively from the ground and increase her distance. It didn't take long for Diana to master the technique. Antiope switched from testing distance to testing altitude, re-stacking the logs and rocks in a mounting pile, challenging Diana to jump as high as she could from a standstill.

When Antiope was satisfied with Diana's progress, there was no pause for rest nor extravagant gush of praise, just a curt nod and another directive: "Now try to keep up with me." She darted into the woods, following an uncharted path that forced Diana to hurdle rocks and shrubs and small streams to keep from losing sight of her.

"Antiope," called Diana as they followed the sinuous line of a deep gorge through the forest, "what does this have to do with becoming a warrior?"

Antiope glanced over her shoulder momentarily and asked, "When you confront an enemy, do you expect they will stand motionless and wait for you to strike them?"

"No. I expect they will keep moving."

"Indeed. Tell me why."

"Because...if you keep moving you are harder to hit?"

"Very good." Antiope paused to duck beneath a low-hanging branch; Diana was still short enough to run under it. "Movement is the foundation of battle. You must know the terrain and be able to travel swiftly and easily through it. Your enemy will know these things, too. If you do not first understand how your body can move, how can you understand a weapon?"

"That makes sense," said Diana thoughtfully. Earlier, she had wondered if Antiope was punishing her with pointless tasks, but now she understood. The sooner she proved could move with power and grace, the sooner Antiope would give her a weapon. And Diana knew just how to demonstrate her mastery.

Diana glanced at the canyon beside her. It grew narrower as it stretched toward the center of Themyscira. It didn't appear much wider than the final collection of logs and stones she had easily jumped over back in the clearing. Before she could lose her nerve, she altered her trajectory and dashed toward the rim of the gorge. "Antiope!" she cried. "Watch me!" Then, with a mighty surge, she threw herself across the gap in the land.

Clouds and trees rushed wildly past as Diana sailed through the air. She had never jumped so high or so far before. It felt as if she were floating forever, liberated from gravity. She made the mistake of looking down and became dizzied by the shimmering river rushing far below. So she forced her gaze back to the opposite side of the gorge, which was fast approaching. Too late she realized she had misjudged the distance. She was going to come up short. In an instant the ground fell away from her. A scream ripped from her throat as she plummeted toward the rock-choked waters beneath her.

Sudden, firm pressure encircled Diana's waist. She stopped sharply in midair and began to swing lazily from side to side, bumping gently against the canyon walls. A slender golden rope wrapped around her torso had halted her fall. _Antiope's lasso._ Diana's gaze followed the rope upward and settled on Antiope, matter-of-factly hauling her out of the gorge, looking concerned and a bit amused and not nearly as angry as Diana had feared she would be. Once Diana's feet were firmly planted on the ground again, Antiope said only, "You won't make that mistake again, will you?"

"No," said Diana earnestly. "I won't."

Antiope gave a single satisfied nod and leapt casually across the gorge. "Do it again, then," she said. "And for pity's sake, keep your eyes on your landing instead of looking at the sky."

This time, when Diana jumped she reached the other side with more than a foot to spare.

* * *

Years later, at the foot of the great stone tower on Themyscira, Diana remembered Antiope and her lessons. No fresh tears came to her eyes; she felt only the warmth of fond memory and profound gratitude for all her aunt had shared with her. Most importantly, Antiope had taught her to always do the right thing from the beginning. Without a strong foundation, how could any great work hope to stand?

She looked up at the sheer brick wall, the tiny window high above, the faint golden light that beckoned invitingly within. The distance from there to here seemed impossible to cross. Diana felt a shiver of doubt. How could she be sure she was worthy to wield the weapons she now sought? Perhaps some part of her was still the same impetuous girl who had nearly fallen to her death in a gorge on her first day of training. But if Antiope had believed in that foolish child, Diana needed to believe in her too.

Some of the other Amazons didn't think the world outside Themyscira was worth defending. Diana couldn't agree, not until she'd seen it for herself. If she didn't fight for the freedom of innocents now, even if it meant risking everything, how could she continue to call herself an Amazon? She had made up her mind. She planted her feet, took a running start, and leapt into everything her future would hold.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Leap of Faith [Podfic]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13759209) by [blackglass](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackglass/pseuds/blackglass)




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